Ben 10: Earth's Mightiest Defenders (Revamped)
by Transformers g1's-Prime
Summary: After years of careful planning and preparation, Vilgax has returned from deep space to carry out his long-awaited vengeance upon Earth and her greatest champion, Ben Tennyson. When the warlord's strength and numbers proves too much for the young hero to handle, alliances must be made with other heroes to save their home from the forces of tyranny before it's too late.
1. Prologue: The Calm Before the Storm

**_Disclaimer: - I do not own the rights to any of the characters, both main and supporting ones, within this story unless I create them. They are all based off the various shows created by Cartoon Network. Thank you, and enjoy the show._**

* * *

 **BEN 10**

 **Earth's Mightiest Defenders**

 **Prologue**

 **The Calm Before The Storm**

* * *

A lone planet hung in orbit.

It sat there, slowly rotating around the star that serves as the source of light for the planet and the solar system it lies within. From afar, it was a beautiful sight; a stark contrast from the cold, dark void of outer space with its teal-like color that would make many artists jaws drop in awe at its beauty.

Taking a closer look onto the planet's surface, one would be amazed at what they find. The planet was teeming with rich organic life inhabiting the various mountain ranges, the large oceans and scattered inland seas, and the majestic architect of the cities that the planet's citizenry lived in.

But for all its beauty, the planet was feared by the warlord that ruled it.

Though many centuries have passed since then, no one within the borders of the Galactic Alliance will deny the horrors that the warlord ruling the planet has wrought onto thousands of planets during the events of the Great Territorial War. The warlord was one of the most dangerous beings in the universe, feared by all for his dangerously short temper, brutal war tactics, and his vast array of military resources. He conquered nearly a hundred solar systems on his own, destroyed thousands of planets with a single command, and even created a black hole through unknown methods that has left many scientists dumbfounded by it.

It was because of these terrifying feats that the Galactic Alliance – the central authority of power for the known universe – made it absolute in the treaty following the war's end to forbid any vessel, both militaristic and civilian, from entering the territories conquered by the warlord. To do so would result in the liquidation of the occupant's and their family's possessions and sentence them to ten life-sentences inside the Null Void without parole of any kind.

And the name of this deadly warlord… is Vilgax the Conqueror.

Currently, the Chimera Sui Generis warrior was sitting at the far end of a long table – its surface dark and smooth of the richest wood from Alliance space – in a calm manner. Both hands were clasped together, and placed on top of the table's surface while his blood-red eyes scoured the other occupants sitting at the table in a cold, detached demeanor.

The other beings sitting at the table were some that was also renowned for their brutality, but not on Vilgax's level. No, these beings were not conquerors or generals or even politicians, but bounty hunters; the most ruthless of their kind. They got the job done no matter the cost, no matter the stakes, and no matter whatever armies or fleets that their targets threw at them. These were not regular people, but demigods in all but name.

Khyber the Huntsman, Sixsix the Merciless, Sunder the Retriever, Kraab the Klaw, Vulkanus the Heroslayer, and Synthroid-O4 the Cyberman.

" **Gentlemen,"** Vilgax's deep and gargling voice rasped from behind his voice respirator. **"I thank you for responding to my message and coming here. Truly, you are men who fears nothing as demonstrated by how you entered into my territories with little hesitation. But you probably care little for that, no? Yes, you're all wondering as to why I've called you to here, right?"**

"Enough with the preamble, Vilgax," Khyber growled, not one for monologues or villainous speeches. He was a man of action. "You promised to show us something special and so far, all I've seen is your people languishing under your boot heel and your pitiful drone soldiers attempting to contain my pet. In all honesty, I've seen better."

Kraab nodded stiffly, clenching his massive claw-hand. _"Yeah, what's this all about? Don't tell me that you brought me here for another wild chase like the last one you sent me out on?"_

Vilgax's eyes narrowed, but his demeanor did not change. **"It would be wise for you two to keep your mouth shut. It would be a shame if this room became quite…** _ **messy,**_ **"** The threat was obvious in his tone, and the two hunters didn't try to provoke the warlord any further. **"As to why I have summoned you all here, I have recently developed a proposition for any willing to accept."**

"What kind of proposition?" Sunder asked, acting calm on the outside, while he was sweating bullets on in the inside. Honestly, he wasn't expecting be in an audience with _the_ actual Vilgax and the reputation that follows his name is not one that is exaggerated lightly.

If they could see his mouth behind his mask, they would've seen Vilgax's charred lips grow into what one would call a grotesque parody of a smile. **"Tell me, are any of you familiar with a little planet called Earth?"**

Silence... and then-

Sixsix, in a rare moment of anger, slammed his fist on the table, cracking its rich surface while spewing out various curses in his native language toward Vilgax.

"Can't believe I'm saying it, but for once, I agree with Gearbox over there!"Vulkanus exclaimed. "Like seriously? You're still obsessed with that little dirtball after all these years, even after your ass kicked by that little bra—"

It happened in an instant so fast that if one were to blink, they would have missed the thin red beam come from the laser projector on Vilgax's right wrist and carved a neat little hole through Vulkanus's forehead.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

All at once, all voices were shut up as Vilgax lowered his hand back down to the table.

" **Now,"** Vilgax purred, enjoying the looks of unease each hunter was giving toward Vulkanus's corpse. **"Would anyone else like to file a complaint about the job?"**

"None at all."

"I'm good, thanks."

" _Complaints, what's that?"_

"Statement: Negative, Vilgax the Conqueror."

Sixsix gurgled something that classified as a "no" in his species' tongue.

" **Good, now if there aren't any further interruptions,"** Vilgax gave an apathetic look toward Vulkanus's corpse. **"We can begin."**

He leaned forward to push several buttons on a console imbedded into the table, and a small holographic image of the planet Earth appeared in the center of the table. Small and insignificant to some, but in Vilgax's eyes, it was a gold mine. **"Behold, Earth; The current location of the famed Omnitrix of legend."**

That caught Khyber's attention. "The Omnitrix, you say?" he rumbled, tapping one clawed finger on the table, musing to himself. "I've heard that name before. A weapon of ultimate power, some called it, but most of them dismissed it as nothing more but an urban myth."

" **I assure you, Huntsman, that the Omnitrix is no urban myth. It is as real as the ground upon which we stand."**

" _He's telling the truth,_ " Kraab reluctantly said. _"It's real, all right. Hell, me and Metalmouth over there has fought against the brat who's wielded it before."_

"Wait, a brat?" Sunder blinked in confusion. "As in… a snot-nosed brat who can't even drive a glider straight?"

" _Yup."_

"…seriously?"

Sixsix snarled at Sunder, who replied with a sneer of his own. The Sotoraggian still had vivid dreams about his humiliating defeats by the Omnitrix's wielder and his many allies.

" **As I was saying,"** Vilgax growled in annoyance. **"The Omnitrix is real and, as far as my spies know, still lies in the hands of the child who has humiliated me many times before."**

He tapped another button and the image of Earth was replaced by a young boy with a watch-like device wrapped around his left wrist.

While the hunters took in the image of the boy, muttering to themselves about certain traits about the boy's appearance, Vilgax willed himself to stay rooted in his chair and subjugating every ounce of rage in his body from leaping forward and crushing the projection of _him_. Three years have passed since the battle at Xenon, but Vilgax would never forget his humiliation at the hands of the boy, who hurled him into the darkest parts of deep space to die. However, he was not one to submit to death's will so easily. Not until the Omnitrix was in his possession, not until the boy's head was mounted upon his wall of trophies, and certainly not until the entire universe bended to his will.

"So that's it, huh?" Sunder grunted, crossing his arms over his burly chest. "That watch on the brat's wrist, that's the Omnitrix? I kinda expected… more to this weapon of mass destruction."

" **Don't be deceived by its appearance, bounty hunter,"** Vilgax turned his attention to Sunder. **"The Omnitrix is power incarnated, carrying with it the DNA samples of tens of thousands of alien life-forms across the universe. Had it fallen into the hands of another human smarter than Tennyson, the entire solar system that Earth inhabits would be under their control by now."**

Sunder fell silent at that, not sure how to reply.

" _Okay, so what the hell's the job? Another hunt for the brat again, cause let me tell you, it won't be easy."_ Kraab warned Vilgax. _"The last time I fought against him, he shut down my entire nervous system and it took me weeks to break out of the prison that Tetrax imprisoned me and Sixisix in."_ Sixsix snarled in agreement.

" **No, gentlemen, I have not contacted you to undertake in another fruitless hunt,"** Vilgax raised one fist and clenched it tightly. **"Today, I have brought you all together to discuss about one particular topic…**

" **War."**

"War?" Khyber said slowly after an awkward moment of silence.

" **That's right,"** Vilgax slowly sat up from his chair, his body's servos make a low whirring sound, as he locked eyes with every being before him. **"Imagine it; Glorious, unadulterated carnage. The screams of** **countless innocents being silenced in a single instance, the sounds of entire armies trampling over the corpses of their fallen enemies, and wealth and power beyond your wildest dreams."**

"By conquering a single planet?" Sunder questioned.

" **It may be just a planet, but it is also our first step into a larger world,"** Vilgax said. **"Into a galaxy of epic proportions, into a universe primed for the taking."**

The hunters paused at that statement, mulling over the warlord's grandiose words. While the logical portion of their brains were telling them what Vilgax really meant – subjugating the entire universe under _his_ rule – that part of their brain was ruled out by several other domineering portions; Greed, bloodlust, and desire for power. Normally, had someone of lesser power approached them with the same offer, they would've laughed at them before putting a blaster bolt through their skull.

But this was Vilgax, the man who practically held the Alliance by the throat before their great-grandparents were born.

"If we agree to your proposition," Khyber slowly said. "What's in it for us after you acquire the Omnitrix?"

Vilgax's eyes crinkled at that question. **"You will each hold a position in my army, and shall become warlords of your own kingdoms as I carve my way through to the heart of the Galactic Alliance. Think of it, entire worlds bending over to your whim, a never-ending cycle of death and destruction to entertain you for all eternity."**

He placed an open palm out toward them. **"All I need is your cooperation."**

...

"Observation: The probability of success with someone of your tactical prowess holds the probability of a calculated 97.8% chance of success." Synthroid-O4, in a moment of surprise, was the first to speak up. "Conclusion: I will be proud to stand by your side, Lord Vilgax."

Khyber quietly nodded, an unreadable expression on his reptilian face.

Sunder chucked aloud, leaning back on his chair and placing his feet on the table. "Ah, what the hell? I could use a good challenge. Sign me up, oh great master of the universe."

Sixsix growled in his native tongue, but stopped mid-way and then managed to hiss out in obvious strain. _**"…I aCCepT."**_ in basic.

Kraab looked unsure for his part, and for a moment, Vilgax mused to himself if he had to kill the cyborg as he did to the previous fool who tried denying his offer.

"… _fine, I'm in."_ He reluctantly conceded.

" **Good, good,"** Vilgax couldn't keep the satisfaction out of his voice. **"You should be honored, gentlemen. It's not every day that someone of your caliber gets picked up to take on the responsibilities of a mission like this."**

The hunters, for their part, said nothing else. They were just waiting for the word to leave the room whenever.

A sudden beeping noise broke the tense atmosphere in the room, and Vilgax leaned forward to stab down on a button with one of his talons. Almost immediately, the holographic image of a skeletal alien in black robes appeared before him. **"What is it?"**

" _The final preparations for departure goes well, master."_ Psyphon, second-in-command and Vilgax's loyal servant, bowed his horned head obediently to the warlord. _"The Chimerian Hammer Mk. II's captain reports that all is ready for takeoff and the drones are being rounded up into their designated warships. They're just waiting for your word, milord."_

" **Good,"** Vilgax purred in pleasure. **"Open up a channel link to the entire armada. I would like to take this time to share a few words before we begin our exodus."**

Psyphon bowed again, before his image disappeared.

" **Come,"** Vilgax commanded, turning to walk out without waiting for the hunters' approval. The hunters glanced at one another in wariness, before stepping out of their chairs and deciding to follow the warlord wherever he was taking them.

It wasn't a long walk that took them to the planet's outskirts or anything like that. In fact, they stayed right inside the palace as they explored its halls, taking the time to analyze their surroundings and note the various decors placed all over the place, each piece obviously a prize claimed by Vilgax after conquering planets. After what seemed like minutes, Vilgax came to a halt before a door and pushed in a code before the door slid open and a bright light filled the room.

Once the light died down, the hunters saw that Vilgax had walked through the entrance and was now standing on a balcony of some kind. They stopped behind the warlord, who placed both hands on the balcony's railing to peer down at whatever was below with a look that one could closely identify as pride. Curious, the hunters strode forward and was impressed at what they saw. Tens of thousands of war drones stood at attention, while others marched onto the large brown-and-orange ships that carried them, along with gigantic versions of the standard drone soldier, and sleek hover-tanks.

Sunder whistled lowly. "Damn. That's a lot of robots."

" **One does not take war in a light manner,"** Vilgax mused, mostly to himself. **"A simple error, be it tactical or in numbers of an army, could cost us the war before the first shot is let off."**

Vilgax lifted a hand to touch the communicator imbedded into his right wrist. **"Psyphon, is it ready?"**

" _Yes, master,"_ Psyphon's voice crackled into existence. _"All ships have been linked up with your communicator. The floor is all yours."_

Vilgax paused for a moment, staring at the device, before he started to speak…

 **"My loyal minions... today, we stand on the brink of greatness. For years, the universe has trembled before the sheer mention of my name, and yet, there are those who dare to oppose me. Millions of light years away from here lies a planet that you've all studied about for the past three years. This planet has seen many of my most embarrassing defeats and the destruction of a great number of our forces thanks to one of its many champions; a boy who has secured the most ultimate power in the universe, and has chosen to use it as a mere plaything for his childish desires to do good.**

 **"These atrocities cannot go without repent! I have spent too long and have sacrificed too much in trying to unite all under a single banner,** _ **my**_ **banner, and I refuse to admit defeat to a backwater world who has no idea of the power that I possess. Today, we will change this.**

 **"Today marks the day that my great crusade begins! Today marks the day that the Galactic Alliance will bend to my will, and submit itself to my will! Today is the day that Earth will burn, that its people will die, and all who dare oppose me... will fall.**

 **...**

 **"FOR TODAY, BEN TENNYSON WILL DIE AND THE OMNITRIX WILL RETURN TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER! I, VILGAX THE CONQUEROR, SHALL EMERGE VICTORIOUS ON THIS DAY ONCE AND FOR ALL!"**

From where he stood, Vilgax could hear the monotone chants of the machines created to do his bidding who were onboard his warships. They repeated the same words, over and over, as it had been programmed into each of their memory cores since their creation.

 _"ALL HAIL LORD VILGAX! ALL HAIL LORD VILGAX! ALL HAIL LORD VILGAX!"_

"Say what you will about his past rep," Sunder murmured to the others. "But the guy knows how to give one hell of a rousing speech."

Kraab shook his head in bemusement. _"I'd hate to be Earth right about now. Nothing's more threatening than a hunter that has been denied its prey for too long."_

Satisfied by the response given to him by his minions, Vilgax turned to face his newly-assembled hired help and barked out, **"If any of you has a form of transportation on-planet right now, it would be wise to get into orbit soon… or else."**

The hunters left, not daring to call Vilgax out on his threat.

Turning back to face the warships that were beginning to lift off of the ground and take off to the stars above, Vilgax took in a deep breath through his respirator and smirked to himself.

 _Prepare yourself, Ben Tennyson, for I am coming for you..._

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Like I said, things are going to be different and I've already started stirring up the plot by introducing the new villains to combat the heroes of this story and set them up before we get to Earth where the real meat of the story begins.**

 **Next chapter, things to remain similar to the original but expect some changes this time around.**

 **See ya next chapter!**


	2. Just A Regular Day

**_Disclaimer: - I do not own the rights to any of the characters, both main and supporting ones, within this story unless I create them. They are all based off the various shows created by Cartoon Network. Thank you, and enjoy the show._**

* * *

 **BEN 10**

 **Earth's Mightiest Heroes**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Just A Regular Day**

* * *

 **Bellwood, Oregon:**

The sound of the school bell ringing jolted Benjamin Kirby Tennyson out of his midday nap, his bleary eyes scanning the room and noticing his classmates gathering their bookbags and binders for their next periods. Thankfully, Ben was one of the kids to have first lunch so he would have another little catnap before moving on to the bane of his existence; math class.

Noticing that everyone, even the teacher, had left the room, he sighed and picked up his own backpack that he's been using since the fourth grade.

The school year before that fateful summer vacation.

He smiled to himself. It's been three years since his road trip with his Grandpa Max and his cousin, Gwen, and he always found himself yearning for another adventure like that to happen again. Ever since he came back to Bellwood, rarely nothing happened; no robberies, no bank heists, no supervillains or alien bounty hunters to fight, and not even a purse-snatcher to scare the crap out of. It's been nothing more but schoolwork and doing chores around the house, which he always finished earlier thanks to the help of his aliens, but he couldn't transform into Grey Matter during a school test so there was that down-side.

Walking through the hallways, he grunted at every five seconds when someone bumped into him and moved on without a care in the world. Whether it'd be one of the jocks, or the "divas", or even the nerds, they didn't care. And each one that passed without a word only made Ben more and more angrier. Although this wasn't the first time that he'd been through this, there had been several occasions of where he considered going Four-Arms or even Wildmutt on some of their asses.

 _But that wouldn't be the right thing to do,_ Ben bitterly thought to himself. His grandpa gave him very specific rules to never use the watch unless it was an emergency, citing that it could bring more harm to him and his family than good.

" _I'm afraid you're gonna have to keep the Omnitrix our secret for now,"_ Grandpa told him, that aged look in his eyes far more prudent than he's ever seen. _"The less people know the better."_

Those words were a bitter pill to swallow, but it was one that Ben had to take. But that didn't mean he had to agree with them either.

Entering the lunchroom, he made his way through the crowd of sweaty primitives and made his way outside the school to where The Spot, his only sanctuary in this pit of despair, would be waiting for him with open arms. He could already smell its fresh air, right about—

Nasally laughter broke him out of his thoughts.

Ben stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide with disbelief and anger at what he saw; Two boys, one tall and lanky with _very_ large ears and the other with messy brown hair and glasses with no distinguishable features to him, and two girls, both of whom looked to be prissy and smelled like they had practically bathe in whatever perfume they used, casually spread out in The Spot like maggots sucking the life out of a living being.

These people were the bane of Ben's school life, practically mocking his every step since Day 1 of Pre-School and suffered no consequences for the hell they gave him, instead intimidating their peers to turn the other way whenever their paths crossed.

The two boys were Cash Murray and J.T. Thompson, the so-called "delinquents" of Madison Middle, and the two girls were Lisa Coleman and Kendall Smith, the "prep-queens" of the eigth grade.

"Well, well, well," Cash said, as he regarded Ben with half-lidded eyes. "Are my eyes foolin' me, or is that ol' Bennie Ten I see?"

Ben sneered. "Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants."

"Whatchu' doing here, Bennie?" J.T. snickered, leaning back to flash his teeth in a haughty manner. "Didn't you hear the memo? No dweebs allowed back here."

Ben tried to ignore the pang that he felt when he heard that remark. He wondered what Gwen was up too right now. "Look guys, I'm not trying to stop trouble. I've had a pretty shitty day so far, and all I want is to take a nap. So, let's make a deal; You four leave The Spot right now, and I get to sleep to my heart's content. That sound fair?"

"Drop dead, freakazoid." Lisa scowled. "Besides, who the hell do you think you are, bossing us around?"

"I think that he needs to be taught some manners," Kendall stated, before turning to Cash and her tone turned to that of sweet honey. "Cashy, could you be a dear and take out the trash for us? _Pwetty pwease?"_

Cash winked back at her, causing the two girls to blush and giggle as the lanky boy got up and strolled over to Ben with a swagger in his steps. He leaned forward to Ben's face, and spoke so closely that Ben could smell his acidic breath. "Listen, kid. I'm gonna say this nice and clear, get the hell out here and you can go today without be embarrassed like the little bitch you are."

Anger suddenly burst open inside of Ben like a dam, and he couldn't stop himself from growling back in response. "I'd like to see you try, Dumbo."

The arrogant look on Cash's face instantly morphed into one of pure fury, and there was no time for Ben to react before his face came into contact with Cash's fist. He spun around, almost gracefully, and fell to the ground with a loud grunt. He dimly heard the others behind him whoop and holler like brain-dead monkeys.

The taste of blood, metallic and foul, filled his mouth and he barely lifted himself off the ground before Cash grasped him by the back of his shirt and pulled him up to another fist on a collision course with his face. The blow rattled his skull, but he somehow managed to keep himself upright as Cash aimed another blow right at him.

This time, Ben was ready.

He ducked underneath the fist and tackled Cash's exposed torso, taking him down to the ground and straddling his waist. His blood already boiling and seeing red at this point, Ben reared his fist back and delivered about three punches to Cash's face, each blow drawing a little blood from the boy's nose and releasing his pent-up frustration. He noted with satisfaction that the others were no longer cheering for Cash, but screaming with panic.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING HERE?!" The voice, loud and booming and tinged with currents of anger, was enough to snap Ben out of his rage as he spun around to stare fearfully at the form of Principal Black, a man in his early sixties whose strength and bulk hasn't diminished with old age. This was one of the many reasons why the kids, Ben included, feared the school's principal.

"Well?" he scowled, crossing his arms and tapping his foot as he impatiently waited for someone to speak.

"Principal Black, thank god you're here!" Lisa spoke up, tears in her eyes. "We were just sitting back here trying to enjoy our lunch together, when Ben here comes out of nowhere and started to attack us. Cashy tried to defend us, but—" her voice trailed off as she choked on a sob.

Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Ah, c'mon guys," the young hero said exasperatedly.

"What?!" Ben cried out. "I didn't do that, you assholes were the—"

"Tennyson, quiet!" Black barked, his angry face turning uglier as he pierced the boy with an intense glare. "Report to my office now, or you'll be cleaning the lunchroom for the rest of the school year!"

Ben's words died in his throat, not wanting to antagonize the already pissed-off principal any further, before he clenched his jaw tight and started walking to the door. He paused as he reached for the door's handle, looking back to see Black help a dazed Cash up with the others circling around the boy like a pack of vultures.

"Oh man," he said quietly to himself. "This is so not my day."

* * *

Max Tennyson didn't expect to spend his afternoon picking up his grandson from school early.

The old man, wearing his trademark Hawaiian shirt and maintaining his polite demeanor, walked inside the principal's office and finding Ben slouched down in the seat from across Black, an ugly bruise on his eye in the shape of a fist.

Black looked up to see Max, and smiled at the old man. "Hey, Max," he greeted, his hard features smoothing out at the sight of a familiar face. "Thanks for coming down here, I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure, Rick," Max replied, reaching forward to shake hands with the man. "So, what's this all about exactly?"

"Ah, yes," Rick sobered up, casting a cool glance towards Ben, who ducked his head to avoid the older man's look. "What exactly is this all about, _Benjamin?_ "

Said boy flinched at his full name being drawled out, but he stood his ground regardless. "For the last time, it wasn't my fault! I walked outside to get a little shut-eye, and those re- I mean, idiots," Ben quickly corrected himself. "Were sitting in my spot and made fun of me when I asked them if I could have it. Next thing I know, Dumbo's punching me in the face and so I fought back."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Really? According to the testimonies from others at the scene, they said that you, and I quote, "started yelling and threatening to smash their skulls in unless they leave 'Your Spot'". Mr. Cash said no, and you attacked him in response."

Ben's jaw dropped. "That's not true!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Tennyson, it's your word against all four of theirs. They all have the same events that match up, and the scene that I walked into outside happens to connect with their version.

"Rick, I have to say that I don't believe what those other kids are saying," Max spoke up. "Ben's a good kid, never caused any commotion at your school or the last one. True, he might not be the most academic kid here, but he wouldn't act like that."

"I would trust your word, Max, but the broken nose on Mr. Murray's face says otherwise."

Ben flinched. He didn't think he hurt Cash that badly.

The older man sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his left thumb and index finger. "Ben, would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, but a look from his grandpa made him relax and obey the older man's command. As he walked out of the room, Rick turned back to look at Max with a look of pity on his face. "Max—"

"How bad is it, Rick?" he sighed wearily.

"Very, I'm afraid," Rick clasped his hands together and put his elbows on his mahogany desk as he put his chin on top of his hands. "The kids' parents are raising hell about what went down today, and the ones for the kid who was assaulted today are threatening to sue the school for, and again I quote, "poor supervision of the school's faculty" and "failing to prevent a psychopath from assaulting their poor son"."

Rick shook his head. "To put it bluntly, Max, your grandson is up headfirst in shit creek now."

Max frowned. "Isn't there anything you can do? I'm sure you have to have some say in this matter."

"'Fraid not," Rick bitterly replied. "The school board's been informed of this, somehow, and they're clamoring for us to switch Ben out to another district. Apparently, several kids have connections to members of the board through family relations, and has made Ben out to be... roguish."

"But why? Ben's done nothing to antagonize these kids."

Rick gave Max a look that sent chills up the old Plumber's spine. "Sometimes, kids do things like this to keep them amused. Your grandson isn't the first and he sure as hell won't be the last."

* * *

Ben sat in silence in the Rust Bucket's passenger seat. His grandpa drove the old RV through the city streets, his face unreadable as ever as he drove in the rain drizzle that began a few minutes ago. It was fitting, Ben thought to himself, seeing it as a reflection of his current mood.

Max stopped the Rust Bucket at a red light and started to speak, "Ben, are you okay?"

Ben snorted to himself. "Oh yeah, Grandpa, everything's fine." he said sardonically. "Just fine. I mean it's not like the kids at my school see me as a freak, or my teachers are scared of me becoming the next Ted Bundy, or the fact that I'm stuck in this stupid town while there's bad guys like Amino or the Forever King still out there cooking up their next evil plan."

Max winced to himself. Rick's cryptic words came crawling back, filling his mind with all sorts of foreboding that shook the old man to the very core. Not just that, but he's seen what kids are capable of these days with their cruel methods of emotional manipulation, and social slandering of others. While he wasn't one to sugarcoat on how his generation had been the best (In fact, that was far from it), but his wasn't as extreme as nowadays. He wondered if, had he been born around Ben's age group, could he have been a target for them like his grandson was?

"Look, Ben, I'm not gonna try and pretend that I know what you're going through. When I was your age, the worst that someone could do was a swirlie or an atomic wedgie," he grimaced, personal experiences coming to mind. "And even then, all you needed was a dry towel or a quick visit to the nurse, and you were good to go."

"I'd rather go through eight periods of either one of them than what I already have to deal with." Ben sullenly said.

"That may be, but you can't let these kids get to you, Ben. I've seen you grow from just a little boy scared of his own shadow to a young man who's saved the world more times than anyone in the history of the Plumbers. In fact, I envy you sometimes because of that."

Though it wasn't much, Ben managed to form a small smile. "Really? You... you really mean that?"

"Absolutely."

"Wow... thanks, grandpa. I didn't know you felt like that."

Max smiled gently at his grandson. "I never tell a lie. Now, how about we stop by Mr. Smoothie's for a drink? You look like you need one."

For the first time today, Ben gave a wide grin. "Really? Hell yeah!"

"Language."

"Oops, sorry grandpa."

* * *

 **Beach City, Maryland:**

It was a warm, sunny day in the small district of land known as Beach City by its colorful inhabitants. Despite the recent weather of freak storms in other cities in Maryland, it would seem that Beach City would be mercifully spared of this. It was nothing more but sunshine and plenty of outdoor activities one could embark on.

Which is exactly what Steven Quartz Universe had decided to do while his family, the Crystal Gems, were out on a mission deemed to dangerous for the young hybrid. Although he was sad that he wouldn't spend time with his family until they got back later that night, which was around the time that Garnet predicted that they should be, Steven decided to take this time to get some fresh air.

Everywhere he went, he wore a bright smile on his face that everyone, who came into contact with the boy, had come to adore due to his optimistic and friendly-going nature. Even Ronaldo Fryman, the closest thing to a town pariah, had no kind of judgement against the young teen (though that didn't stop him from continuing his theories on the "rock-people" that he associated himself with).

"Ah," he hummed to himself, walking down the dock bay without a care in the world. "Space is great, but nothing beats some good ol' atmosphere."

A small frown formed on his face as he thought about his dad, who he hasn't seen that much since his rescue from Blue Diamond's insidious Human Zoo space station. "I wonder what Dad's doing right now." he mumbled to himself. "I haven't seen him that much since the whole Blue Diamond incident... maybe we could go out for brunch."

And with a grin on his face, he took off towards his dad's car wash at high speeds that could put the Flash to shame. It didn't take long for him to reach his destination, as the small building came into view almost immediately. However, he then noticed that his dad's van wasn't in its normal position, making the hybrid frown in confusion.

 _Weird,_ he though, walking towards the front door. _Dad should be working around this time of day._

Coming to a stop at the door, he reached forward to grab the handle and pull back on it, only to find out that the door was locked. Now his confusion gave way to concern; was his dad alright? Had he gotten sick or something, or had Blue Diamond come back to reclaim him for her diabolical Human Zoo and was going to make him an example to what happens to bad humans who try to escape from their cell by shattering-

 _You're doing it again, Steven,_ he thought, shaking his head back and forth. _Remember what Garnet said. Don't overthink things._

Looking up, he then noticed a note attached to the door, and squinted his eyes to read its contents.

* * *

 _"Dear Steven,_

 _Sorry for not telling you or the others, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the past few days, so I've decided to go see a doctor up in Keystone to find out what's wrong with me, (though personally, I have a feeling that it's because of that clam chowder Yellowtail gave me a few days ago). Again, sorry for not telling you, but I promise that we'll go out for a bite after I get back. Catch ya later, shtoo-ball._

 _~Love, Dad._

* * *

Steven let out a soft sigh. While he was relieved to know that his Dad wasn't in the hands of the Diamonds again, he was still concerned about him and hoped that he was okay. After all, he had learned first-hand from Sour Cream that his dad's cooking wasn't always the most edible food in the world.

 _What to do now,_ Steven thought to himself, placing his hands on his hips and slowly walking forward while looking up at the sky. _The Gems are out, Dad's at the doctor, and Connie's usually at school right about now-_

"Hey, Steven!"

"AHHHH!" Steven yelled, accidentally jumping up in the air in fear before coming to a halt in midair. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he then looked down and felt a new grin begin to form on his face at the person he saw. The person was a young girl with dark skin and waist-length dark brown puffy hair, a prominent nose, thick eyebrows, and was slightly taller than Steven. She was wearing a white and light-green stripped shirt with light blue jeans that stopped above her ankles, and wore white flats.

This was Connie Maheswaran, Steven's Jam Bud/Best Friend in the whole world and the only human member of the Crystal Gems.

"Connie!" Steven shouted out in glee, slowly descending back to the ground and landed right in front of his friend. "What are you doing out here? It's not three o' clock yet," a sly grin formed on his face, as he giggled childishly. "Playing hooky, are we?"

"Heavens no!" Connie retorted with a gasp, appalled by the mere idea of it. "My school just got let out early because of a gas leak. And since neither of my parents are home, I thought I'd come to see what you were doing," she turned around on her heel and stuck her head up high in disappointment. "Honestly, I can't believe you would think of something like that. I expected better from you."

"Aw, c'mon, Connie, I didn't mean it," Steven apologized, falling to his knees and folding his hands together in a pleading manner. "I'm sorry for saying something like that, please don't be mad at me."

Noticing his friend's shoulders shaking, Steven felt his heart plummet into his stomach before he heard several loud snorts come from Connie's mouth. His fears were put to rest when a burst of laughter escaped from her mouth, the sound of it practically music to the hybrid's ears.

"Sorry, sorry," the girl said through several snorts of laughter. "That was mean of me, but I just couldn't pass up the moment." Noticing Steven's relieved face, she smiled softly at her first real friend. "Well, since I'm here, why don't we go and see what the Gems are doing."

Steven sighed. "They're not here. They left this morning to go investigate some ancient Gem temple in... Japan, I think, and they won't be back until tonight."

"Well, that stinks," Connie said, frowning. She was hoping to get more sword training in with Pearl. "But I'm sure that we can find something to do until then."

"Yeah, I guess," he muttered dejectedly. Don't get him wrong, he loved spending time with Connie, but he would have liked to have another person to talk to them like Amethyst or his dad.

"Wait, what about Lapis and Peridot? Surely, they have nothing to do around this time of day."

Steven smiled timidly, rubbing the back of his neck with a blush. "Well..." he drawled out, feeling slightly embarrassed. "They're usually busy right about now."

Connie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Busy how?" she echoed back.

* * *

 _"I'm sorry, Percy, but we cannot be together. It goes against everything that my family's code of honor stand for!"_

 _"But, Bernadette, I care not for honor. I need only you to fill the empty void that is my heart!"_

"Oh, for grop's sake!" a small green-skinned alien with a hairstyle similar to a massive triangle, and wearing a snazzy red bow tie, moaned loudly. "Be a man, Percy, you can find another person to help make friendship bracelets with you."

Next to her, her cyan-skinned roommate shook her head in disappointment. "This is the second season they've spent on this plotline," she said tiredly. "The only thing they can do to make this worse is introduce some random character we've never heard of before and treat them like they're part of the major story overall, and-"

 _"Bernadette! What do you think you're doing out of your room? Your disobedient nature cannot be tolerated any longer, so your mother and I have decided to send you to the home of your distant brother, who has never been mentioned before for any reason."_

 _"NO!"_

"...why am I not surprised?"

* * *

"Geez," Connie said in disbelief. "So you've just been alone by yourself all day?"

Her eyes softened with sympathy when she saw her friend shake his head glumly in response. Ever since he was born, Steven has had no real contact with kids around his age-group, save for the Cool Kids and Peedee, due to the Crystal Gems isolating him from the outside out of fear that the children would shun him for what he is. When Connie first met Steven in person, she was put-off by his personality before the jovial boy began to grow on her up to the point that she considered him to be her best friend... and began to develop a small crush on him overtime.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she smiled softly at the boy. "Tell you what, how about we go back to the Temple and play a couple levels of Colonization V? I promise I'll let you create your own cities to lead." she grinned widely when she saw a very similar look grow on her crush's face.

"Really?" he exclaimed, stars practically glowing in his eyes. When Connie nodded her approval, Steven let out a loud cheer before reaching over and grabbed Connie by the wrist and began dragging her back to the Beach House in a fit of laughter, not noticing the young girl's massive blush as she began to laugh with him.

* * *

 **Kids Next Door Moonbase Zero:**

In the beginning, Earth was a kid paradise, with everything a kid could want. But eventually the kids became bored, as kids tend to do, and kid scientists created the first adults.

The adults were put to work or play, and it was good for a while until one adult spanked a child because the child pouted when the adult refused to play after a hard day at work. Relations began to dwindle and adults were banished. They created their own prospering civilization, producing toys, which forced many kids to work to earn money to buy these toys. The kids, dissatisfied, went to war with the adults. They attacked the adults' primary resource, coffee, because without it, the Adults would not function. Eventually, however, the tide turned against the kids as the adults gained far greater numbers and superior weaponry, and defeated the children.

The children fled to the moon, where they created their own moon base, and lived in a newly-found peace and harmony. Many children, however, missed Earth after a while. Adults too were equally wanting reconciliation, and they created families to give kids a chance where they could live on Earth in equality.

This was but one of many theories behind the creation of the global organization of the Kids Next Door, the defenders of kid freedom from adult tyranny.

But for KND operative, Nigel Uno – Numbuh 1, leader of Sector V – theories were just that; theories. He was one of the few operatives in all of KND history who appreciated facts over opinions, valued the truth over all else, and never gave up on a mission despite the overwhelming odds presented to him.

It was these traits that made him a legend among the Kids Next Door.

The young cadets stationed in the Arctic Base whispered in reverence about the young Brit's achievements in his battles against enemies like Mr. Boss, the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, and the KND's greatest supervillain; Father. Those of his graduating class or older treated the boy with a form of respect for doing the impossible when no other operative could ever do, except maybe the legendary Numbuh 0. And the villains he fought against either trembled or spat at the mere mention of his name, memories of their defeats thanks to the boy's quick thinking slamming into them like a tidal wave.

But for all the stories and praise sang about the boy, he didn't see himself as a hero. Far from it.

The Brit stood alone in the KND Hall of Memorial, staring somberly at one particular photo hung up. On the picture, it showed a younger, less-experienced kid who had yet to be introduced to the hardships that the KND kept tucked away behind its promises of kid freedom and fighting the good fight.

The boy, whose head was as bald as a new-born baby's bottom, was grinning from ear to ear as he shook hands with an older, more experienced veteran of that time. The veteran had bright blonde hair that curled at its tip, covering the veteran's right eye, while wearing a red jumpsuit that was padded with make-shift armor kept together by leftover hoses wrapped around his forearms. On his chest was an old green trash-lid that had been configured into body armor and emblazoned on it in perfect white paint was the number, "274".

Contrary to popular belief, Numbuh 1 missed Chad. The former Supreme Leader had been a close friend/mentor-figure to him, showing him around the ropes of the KND while dealing with the daily business of keeping all kids from going into total anarchy without the proper authority to help guide them while tying their shoes. In fact, after his graduation ceremony, Chad had treated him to a congratulatory pizza and ice cream dinner free of charge for performing so well. However, during the meal, it was the advice that he gave Numbuh 1 that really stuck with him ever since.

 _"I'm gonna be frank with ya, Nigel, you have the potential to be one of the best operatives of this current age in KND History and that's saying alot. But things are gonna get harder from here on out. You're gonna be challenged by all sorts of things on a daily basis, and I mean_ daily. _You'll be fighting against some of the meanest, cruelest, most blood-thirsty adults out on the streets and you may come back sometimes with more than a couple bruises. It's gonna get tough out there, kid, but after seeing your stats in the simulations, I think you'll perform just fine."_

Those words were a lifetime ago, but they had been the driving force to what Nigel did for a living. Even after Chad's betrayal and him joining the Teenz, Numbuh 1 still took those words to heart, fighting for what he and his mentor had believed in even after said mentor's betrayal. But now...

Now he didn't know what to believe in.

 _Why me?_ he questioned himself, staring unblinkingly at the picture. _Out of all the potential candidates in the KND, why me? Was it because of Numbuh 5 changing the grades on my final exam? Or the fact that my dad was_ the _Numbuh 0? Or maybe... it was something else._

Or someone else, a nagging voice in the back of his mind whispered. At once, the images of certain men wrapped around in shadows with glowing yellow eyes and cackling madly popped into being. He shook it away as fast as the thought came.

No, not even Chad could have known about _that_ side of his family tree before he did. If he did, he would've been under house arrest by now, and being observed by hundreds of operatives until his bones turned into dirt. But the thought did persist.

Numbuh 1 sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his right temple with his index and middle fingers. _Why did I come here again? If I wanted to drown myself in self-misery and doubt, I would have brought up anything about Li-_

He stopped himself before he could finish that trail of thinking. The scars of his recent break-up haunted his dreams as bad as the last fight with Chad or anything relating to his estranged uncle, and his feeble old grandfather. The chubby, red-haired girl's morose face screamed at him in his nightmares, citing off his past failures as a boyfriend while the treehouse slowly ripped the air from her lungs and built up the pressure inside her body until she popped like a balloon.

Only it wasn't hot air that came out of the girl.

He shuddered to himself, picking up his pace to try to shove those morbid images out of his thoughts. Walking down the corridors of the Moonbase, he allowed himself to relax as he took in the familiar sights of the lunar base such as the various posters of upcoming Yipper tournaments and Rainbow Monkey special showtimes, and even the "Most Wanted" posters of adult supervillains like Knightbrace and the Common Cold; two enemies that Sector V has fought against in the past.

After a few minutes of walking and quietly greeting the other operatives with a polite nod of the head, he entered the moonbase's cafeteria to find it nearly empty with an operative or two at a table going over some kind of report, or playing a casual game of Yipper.

Good. He'd prefer to be left alone to his private thoughts, and didn't feel like chatting with any other operatives.

"Hey, Nigel."

...except her.

"Numbuh 362, sir!" He saluted Numbuh 362, the new Supreme Leader (a reminder that didn't cheer up his already gray mood).

The blonde-haired girl, dressed in her trademark tiger-striped sweater, simply shook her head and laughed softly. "I told you once to lay off the formalities around her, Nigel. We'e off-duty, right now. Keep this up and I'l have to make it a direct order in the "KND ROOLZBOOK", got it?"

"Yes, ma-I mean, Rachel." he smiled lightly at the girl, who lead him to the vendors. Minutes later, the two found themselves sitting at a table in the corner, each enjoying their own meals. Nigel heaved a sigh of pleasure at the cold chocolate smoothie running down his throat and cooling his insides.

"So, Nigel," Rachel started off. "How's your sector been treating you?"

"Oh, uh... good, good," Nigel said, dipping a French fry into some ketchup. "Numbuh 2's thinking about enrolling into some aviation camp over the summer, Numbuh 3's at some family thing in Taiwan, Numbuh 4 is in detention for skipping (And I _know_ that he's skipping it right now), and Numbuh 5 is following up some rumors sightings of Cree in New Jersey."

"And what about you?"

That made him blink. "Huh?"

Rachel frowned, tilting her head to the side. "I said, "What about you?". For all your successes in stopping bad guys like Father or Stickybeard, I'm sure the great Nigel Uno has to be doing something normal."

"Considering our line of work, Rachel, there aren't many "normal" things that I can do," Nigel snorted sardonically.

"C'mon, Nigel, even I have something else that doesn't involve saving the world from adult tyranny. What do you like to do for fun?"

The Brit frowned, tapping the table in thought. What does he like to do for fun? Closing his eyes, he dug deep into his mind to scavenge for... _something._ Well, he liked to make sure that the Delightful Children didn't get their cake. Surely that counts right?

"Uh... I guess it kinda does."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he opened his eyes to see Rachel giving him a bemused look. He sighed quietly. "Sorry, Rachel, it's just..."

He trailed off, words failing him as he tried to rationalize what to say to her? "Oh, I'm sorry. I've just been busy fighting off nightmares of my ex-girlfriend getting popped like a grape in front of me by my AI-possessed treehouse, and that my former mentor's betrayal is leading me to question every one of my ideals.". It was stupid, bloody stupid! And he shouldn't be having thinking about-

A soft hand, both cool and pleasant at the same time, rubbed against his. He looked up to see Rachel, a concerned look in her eyes as she stared into the bald Brit's sunglasses.

"Are you okay?" She whispered. Her voice was like the harmonic melody of a thousand angels.

 _No, it feels like my entire world is crashing down._

"Yeah... just fine."

The look on her face said that she believes that as much as Father deciding to become a pacifist. After a few moments of awkward silence, her face suddenly brightened up. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up, how about a round or two of Dancey-Pants Revolution sound?"

Nigel flushed, his face taking on an embarrassed visage. "I-I don't know, Rachel. After all, shouldn't you be getting back to work now, or-"

"Oh, stop being such a big chicken, Nigel," she chastised, but with a beaming smile on her face. She reached over to take him by the hand again. "Now, c'mon!"

The Supreme Leader dragged the protesting boy out the mess hall, drawing curious looks from the others before they went back to their meals and games.

However, hidden within the shadows of a secret room, Numbuh 74.239 glared down at the spots of where the two most influential figures of the Earth-Sector KND cell with a look of distaste. The time was coming to take Numbuh 1 away to a universe of epic proportions for one singular goal, but recently, the Brit's teammates, parents, and even fellow operatives has begun spending more time with him in the wake of several acts that had been carefully orchestrated by him and the other members of his "triumvirate" for quite some time.

 _No matter,_ the disguised alien thought callously after a moment of hard thinking. _Soon, Numbuh 1 will be welcomed into the fold and I can finally put this stupid hick planet behind me... I am going to miss that Yipper game, though._

* * *

 **Los Angeles, California:**

"Get off me!"

A young woman, barely past the legal age of consent, desperately tried fighting off the three burly-looking men (all with the same traits; greasy hair, pot-bellies, and teeth yellowed to the point of being rotten) who just laughed as she struggled fruitlessly against them.

"Let me _go_!"

Once again, they laughed at her.

"C'mon darling, it'll only hurt a little. Besides, you know you want it." One of them, a dark-skinned male with a mean-looking scar on his right cheek, chuckled while trailing her back with a calloused hand.

"Yeah! Struggling will only make it worse for you." A grey-haired man yanked on her long dark hair, inciting a gasp of pain and surprise from the woman.

"I call first dibs!" The last one, an angry-looking man with missing teeth, snarled as he yanked on the woman's right wrist.

"I said get off me, you bastards!" Elizabeth Norris screamed, kicking and scratching against her captors. Her eyes searched the alleyway desperately, trying to find somebody. "Please! _Somebody,_ help me!"

No one appeared to help her. The city of Los Angeles went about its daily business without bothering to spare a glance towards this horrific scene. The roaring engines of cars and people laughing drowned out her pleas.

Tears welled in her eyes.

She gritted her teeth and kicked out at "Scarface". He easily dodged the kick and grinned mockingly. Apparently, he was taking this ordeal less seriously than she was.

"She's quite the fighter, Tom!" "Scarface" laughed.

"I can tell, Joe, looks like we'll just have to teach her some proper respect, huh? Steve, you called first dibs, so go ahead!" Tom, the grey-haired man, gestured towards the man with little teeth, whose face was tight with lust and without remorse for what they were about to do to her.

The tears fell.

"Let her go."

The three men, and their hostage, spun toward the quiet voice that had spoken.

Standing alone at the end of the alleyway stood a lone man staring at the group with a piercing glare that sent chills up Elizabeth's spine, even when it wasn't being directed at her. Taking a closer look at the man, she noticed that he was wearing a grey coat with purple cuffs and a collar of the same color, dark pants, and a fedora resting atop his head. But the thing that stood out about the man was the odd-looking cane resting at his waist.

"Please, sir," she cried. "Help m—"

Joe's fist stopped any other words, forming a mean bruise on her cheek. "Shut up, bitch!" He turned back to the mysterious man, who hadn't moved from his spot, and his lips curled back into a sneer. "And just who the hell are you, asshole? You a cop?"

The man's glare seemed to intensify.

Tom and Steve shifted uneasily behind Elizabeth as Joe took a few steps forward, now pulling out a hidden Glock from its holster in his jacket. "Hey! I asked you a question, man, so you best answer 'less you want a bullet in yo ass."

The man tapped a finger on his cane once, then twice as he spoke. "Who I am, or rather _what_ I am, does not matter. What I want is simple. I want you to let her go, and for you three to turn yourselves over to the local authorities. _Immediately_."

"You must be crazy, man." Joe smirked. "We ain't doin' shit, 'cept getting our fill-in with the mook over there."

Elizabeth bristled at the insult, but her anger fell away when she saw the mystery man take a single step forward.

"That was your only chance," he coldly declared. "You should've been wise to take it."

Silence... and then-

Joe pulled the trigger, firing off a bullet that crackled like thunder in the small alleyway that made Elizabeth's ears ring as she let out a horrific scream as the bullet raced towards the man, who was-

...gone?

For a moment, she thought her mind had finally snapped and she merely dreamt of the mystery man coming to her rescue as her broken and bleeding form was left to die in the alleyway, when she noticed Joe's confused face. The dark-skinned man started to open his face to say something, but only a scream came out.

The mystery man landed on the ground with such graceful, yet quick speed. In his right hand, shining brightly as the afternoon sun reflected off its beautiful blue steel, was a sword that looked to be out of those old samurai films her and her dad used to watch.

On the ground was a hand, festered in golden rings and a Glock clenched firmly in its palm. Joe's hand.

Without breaking stride, the mystery man performed a brutal uppercut on Joe that knocked the thug unconscious, though it didn't stop the blood from pouring or his tears from shedding.

Elizabeth heard someone speak, and then realized that it was her who spoke. "Holy shit."

The other two thugs, horrified at their leader's sudden dismemberment, chose to react very differently to what just happened. Steve howled, jolting Elizabeth and charged at the mystery man, a large knife suddenly in hand. She didn't want to know what he planned on doing to her with it.

Tom just ran, dropping Elizabeth and hauling ass towards the other end of the alleyway.

The mystery man casually danced around Steve's wild and sloppy swipes at his head, looking utterly bored as his eyes followed the fleeing Tom with annoyance. Suddenly, he reached forward and grasped Steve's hand with a vice-like grip, making the man swear under his breath from the pressure before he paled as the man's eyes seemed to stare into his very soul.

"Please," he whimpered. "Don't hurt me bad, man." A thin trail of urine pooled down Steve's left leg.

The man paused for a moment, before knocking the thug out with a brutal right hook that spun Steve around like a drunk ballerina before he hit the ground. Hard.

His head snapped back up to see Tom now farther away now, and he reached for the wooden... thing that he used to conceal his sword in. Taking a deep breath, he cocked his right arm back like a professional baseball player and threw it.

A moment later, the sheath bounced off of Tom's head and was back in his grip. Without a word, Tom fell to the ground and was down for the count.

Standing up, he placed his sword into his sheath and adjusted it back onto his belt. Sighing again, he walked over to the still-shaken Elizabeth and offered a hand towards her. She took it, and the man gently helped her up onto her feet. Now up close to the man, she can no longer see the serious look that terrified her would-be rapists, but rather a gentle expression that carried a burden far too heavy for a man his age.

"Are you okay?"

She blinked, surprised by the man's quiet and soothing voice. "Ye-yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

The man nodded, continuing to speak. "Good, good. Do you have some form of communication on you?"

A moment later, she blinked as she realized the man's words. "Oh! You mean, like a cell phone?"

The man nodded and waited patiently for the young woman to contact the local authorities to come pick up the thugs, while keeping an eye on the unconscious trio. After a few moments, Elizabeth thanked the dispatched and hung up to face the mystery man.

"They'll be here in a moment," she paused for a moment. "Thank you."

"No problem," the mystery man replied, bowing low at the bemused Elizabeth. "...goodbye."

Elizabeth gaped at the mystery man's retreating back, stunned. "Wa-wait, where are you going?"

"I do not know. I stopped to save you from those... _men,_ " Elizabeth took a step back at the amount of vehemence in the man's tone, before it softened again. "And now you are safe from them. By the time they awake, they will be in the arms of local justice and you will be far away from their vile minds."

"Oh."

The man was just out of the alleyway when Elizabeth spoke up again, her voice soft but serious as she asked him,

"What's your name, at least?"

For a moment, he stopped in his tracks. When he turned to face her, his eyes held a look that sent chills down her spine.

"They call me Jack."

And with that, the man called Jack left without another word.

* * *

The atmosphere on the _Chimerian Hammer Mk. II's_ bridge was the literal definition of the word "tense". Though Psyphon didn't show it, he was inwardly terrified at the eerie silence that had befallen upon the bridge since their departure from Vilgaxia, hell, he could say that it could be felt on the entire ship itself. From what the helmsmen had informed him, they were suppose to have arrived at Earth at a standard of ten regular Earth days from Vilgaxia. However, they had passed their original estimated arrival about two Earth days ago, and Psyphon was growing very anxiously as each minute ticked bye.

His master, on the other hand, showed no sign of the fear that his only minion made of flesh-and-blood was currently going through. In fact, he hasn't moved from his position on his command chair during their journey and had showed no outwardly change in appearance, save for the slight narrowing of his eyes when they hadn't arrived at their destination on schedule. Thankfully, no Drones were destroyed and his master hadn't punished Psyphon for his misinformation. That probably didn't stop the warlord from thinking of it, though.

 _This is taking too long,_ the alien servant thought nervously, wringing his skeletal hands around in fear. _These damn machines are insufficient when it comes to completing simple tasks. Even a baby Galvan would be able to tell time correctly than these machines' worthless memory cores can._

He dared to take a glance at his master, and was relieved to see that he hadn't moved at all. Could it be possible that he's simply sleeping with his eyes open?

 _"Master,"_ the voice of the ship's helmsman finally spoke up, turning away from his console to face his creator. _"We have arrived in our taget's Solar System, and are currently fifteen standard minutes away from our destination."_

 **"Finally,"** Vilgax growled, flexing his hands as if he was imagining a person's head was in them. He looked down to bore his blood-red eyes into his loyal minion's horned head. **"Psyphon, send word out across the armada to prepare for the invasion. I want a swift and clean victory when we emerge from hyperspace."**

The groveling coward bowed like an obedient dog. "As you command, master."

And so, for the next several minutes, he did as his master instructed for him to do. Each of the Dreadnaughts assigned captains obeyed as their master's second-in-command ordered and began preparations for the Chimera Sui Generis's eventual conquest. Their cannons were loaded, proton torpedoes activated, and forward shields at minimum power due to the Earth's primitive weapons compared to their own. As the seconds counted down to their arrival, Psyphon found the passing seconds to be the longest moments in his life and, at some points, swore that he saw his life flash before his eyes.

He shook such thoughts away when the helmsman then spoke up again. _"We are currently sixty seconds away from our destination, master."_

A deep rumbling sound emerged from the warlord's respirator, the closest that he'll ever get to making a hum due to his damaged vocal cords. The seconds slowly ticked down and Vilgax began imagining the events that were to follow upon arrival; the Earth's leaders would panic at the sight of his fleet, trying their best to destroy him only to be wiped out by a single orbital bombardment. From there, his soldiers would descend from the skies and rain fire down upon the cowardly humans, as they panicked and looked up to their gods, shouting out for them to send someone to save them only to be silenced forever.

 _And then,_ Vilgax thought with a sense of dark glee. _The moment that I've been waiting for has come at last._

He could vividly picture the look of fear on Ben Tennyson's face as the warlord made his way over to the insolent child, stepping over the corpses of his allies and loved ones without a care in the world. The boy would undoubtedly try to fight back, but would soon be overwhelmed by Vilgax's might and weapons he had acquired during his years of conquest, and would perish with his kind. Once then, the Omnitrix would be his, and all who dared to oppose his wrath shall be vanquished to the pits of Hell.

The time-limit reached its end, and the helmsmen pulled back on one of the many levers on the console to have the blue vortex of hyperspace fall away to the countless stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Vilgax's eyes pulsed with glee when he saw it; Earth.

"Status!" Psyphon barked, as Vilgax sat up from his command chair and began walking over to the bridge's view-port in a trance, hands clasped behind his enormous back.

 _"Energy shields raised at full power, Commander."_

 _"Starfighters in position, and ready for departure."_

 _"Forward cannons prepped and ready."_

 _"Landing craft prepared."_

Psyphon looked over at a console and smiled darkly. "All ships are in position and await for your orders, master." he hissed with glee like a snake ready to strike at its prey.

 **"Commence Attack Formation, Diagon 3,"** Vilgax commanded with a low, maniacal chuckle. Staring down at the beautiful orb of a backwater planet, he almost felt sorry for the fate that was about to fall upon it.

Almost.

* * *

 ** _And that's chapter 2 done with a few changes, and the introduction of a familiar hero. Stay tune for the next one._**


End file.
